Railway-car



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W. H. JAUOBY. RAILWAY GAR. No. 439,404. Patented Oct. 28, 1890.

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RAILWAY OAR. No. 439,404. I Patented Oct. 28, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

XVILIJIAM H. JACOBY, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

RAILWAY-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,404, dated October28, 1890.

Application filed March 5 1888.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. JACOBY, of Minneapolis, in the county ofHennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Railway-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the running-gear ofrailway-cars, and the object I have in view is to provide a car that maybe caused to turn in either direction onto a branch or side trackwithout the use of movable switches, or may be caused to pass theswitches and follow the straight track, as desired.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following detaileddescription, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a street-carembodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same.Fig. 3 is a bottom view. Fig. 4: is a horizontal section through thecenter of the wheels and journals. Fig. 5 is a partial bottom Viewshowing the mode of changing the angle of the wheels. Figs. 6 and 7 aredetails of the journal-box. Fig. 8 is a section of track, showing thecurves and the manner of constructing the switches. Fig. 9 is a sectionof track, showing a curve and the portion taken by a car in' passingsaid curve. Fig. 10 is a detail.

In the drawings, 2 represents the body of the car supported upon atruckframe 4. This truck-frame may be of any suitable construction,preferably formed with the outer longitudinal bars 6 and the centrallongitudinal bar 7, which are properly braced or framed together, and tothis frame the running-gear of the car is attached.

The wheels 8 which carry the car may be of ordinary construction and aremounted upon axles 10. I prefer to construct these axles as shown inFig. 4, providing aseparate axle for each wheel, extending from thejournal-box 12, located outside the wheel upon the bar 6, to the journal-box 13, located at the inner extremity of the axle under the centralbar 7. This box is preferably secured to the housing by the pivots 16,centrally located at the top and bottom of the said box. The outer box12 is also pivoted in a similar Serial No. 266,202. (No model.)

manner between the supporting-plate 17 and the strap 18, secured to theouter bars of the frame. The housing 15 is supported in ways 19 upon thecentral bar. of the frame, and are arranged to slide longitudinally ofthe fume. A series of friction-rolls 21 may be placed between thehousing and the way, in order to allow it to move more freely.

represents a barrel or sheave held in bearings on the truck-frame. Achain or cable 22 passes around this sheave and is socured to thehousings 15. A sprocket-wheel 2a is mounted upon the shaft 25, which isheld in bearings preferably upon the body of the car, extends upwardabove .the platform of said car, and is provided with a handle or lever26,by which it is operated. A chain ..7 is passed over the sprocket 24.and is connected to the housings 15. Aturn-buckle 28 may be placed inthe line of the chain between the sprocket and the housing to take upthe slack in the chain. The chain or cable 22, passing around the barrel20 and attached to the sliding housing 15 on one side, and the chain 27,passing around the sprocket 24 and attached to the housing on theopposite side, form a means for longitudinally moving the housings andjournal-boxes pivoted therein. As the sprocket is partially revolved,the housing upon one side is thrown forward and the housing upon theother side is drawn backward, moving the inner end of the axle andthrowing the wheels upon an angle either to the right or left, as thecase may be.

I do not confine myself to the manner described of moving the housingand boxes, as other means may be employed for doing this withoutdeparting from my invention, and both boxes may be moved at the sametime, or one only may be moved. This axle, as described, may be appliedto one or both ends of the car, and when applied to both ends one may belocked straight while the other is being operated. A flange or collar 30is preferably formed upon the inner end of the axle, and as the housing15 is moved the boxes 12 and 13 will turn on their pivots and allow forthe angularity of the said axle. The collar 30, bearing upon the insideof the journal-box, will hold the axle against this box and draw thewheel toward the center, making the distance between the flanges shorterwhen the wheels are on the angles. The inner rail of the curve may bemade continuous, but on the outer rails, or wherever the flanges of thewheels pass, it is necessary to leave an opening to allow therefor.

I have shown in Fig. 8 a View of the track which may be used with myimproved car, and have represented a straight track and curves startingfrom the straight track at the same point and running both waystherefrom. In this view 1 1 represent the rails of the straight track, 33 represent the rails of the curve in one direction, and 5 5representthe rails of the opposite curve. It will be understood that thecar may be used on a track having one or more curves. The inner rail 3of the curve is preferably continuous, and the inner rail of theopposite curve 5 is also preferably continuous. The outer rails of thecurves 3 and 5, as well as of the straight track 1, are broughttogether, as shown in Fig. 8, in such a manner as to carry out the linesof their respective tracks, but to allow space at their juncture for theflanges of the wheels in following either of the lines to pass the otherwithout obstruction.

The operation is as follows: When the axles are locked in line with eachother, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the wheels will be in the samerelative position as in a car of ordinary construction, and as long asthey are held in this position they will follow the straight track orthe rails denoted by 1 1 in Fig. 8. The flanges will pass through theopenings between the rails 1 and 5 on one side, and 1 and 3 upon the*other, as den'otedby dotted lines in Fig. 8, and the car will hold tothe straight track. If it should be required to cause the car to followone of the curves, the lever 26 at the forward end of the car isoperated and the axles are thrown upon an an gle, as shown in Fig. 5 andin dotted lines in Fig. 8. This causes the wheel-flange to hug andfollow the inner rail 3 of the curve and draw the opposite wheel awayfrom the outer rail. The distance between the flanges being shortened bythe angularity of the axle, the flange on the outer rail will be drawntoward the center sufficiently to insure its passing the opening ordivision between the rails and following the line of the curved Theangularity of the axle reouter rail.

lieves the friction between the wheel and rail, as the line of the axlewill be radial to the curve. Each wheel being supported upon a separateaxle allows the outer wheel to travel faster than the inner one inpassing a curve and thus causes less resistance. It will be seen that itis only necessary in passing into a curve to angle or change the line ofthe forward wheels, as this will lead the car into the curve, and theback axle and wheels will be drawn over sufliciently to follow the lineof the curve.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination, .witha railway-car, ofsupporting-wheels each mounted upon an independent axle, pivoted boxessupporting the outer ends of said axles and permitting said axles tohave a longitudinal movement in said boxes, longitudinally-movablehousings supporting the inner ends of said axle, and means'arranged tobe operated from the platform of said car for simultaneously moving thehousings at either end of said car in opposite directions, forward orback, and thereby turning the wheels at an angle and narrowing the gagethereof.

2. The combination, with a railway-car provided with supporting-wheelseach mounted upon an independent axle, of pivoted boxes supporting theouter ends-of said axles and permitting said axles to have alongitudinal movement in said boxes, longitudinally-movable housingssupporting the inner ends of said axles, and means arranged to beoperated from the platform of the car for moving the inner ends of saidaxle forward or back, for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, in a railway-car, with the wheels 8 and the axles10, of the pivoted boxes supporting the outer ends of said axles, thelongitudinally-movable housings supporting the inner ends of said axles,the sheave 20, the cable 22, connected with said housings and passingaround said sheave, and the chain 27, connected to the opposite ends ofsaid housings and passing around asprocketwheel 24, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 29th day ofFebruary, 1888.

WILLIAM H. J AOOBY.

In presence of A. 0. PAUL. T. D. MERWIN.

IOC

